How to Address a Cover Letter: Examples and Greetings

The best way to address a cover letter is to use a specific person’s name when you can verify it. If you cannot find a name, use a clear role or team greeting such as “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear Marketing Team,” or “Dear Search Committee.”

For this update, we checked current guidance from Indeed, Indeed’s no-name guide, ResumeAdapter, The Balance, Resume Genius, and CV Genius. The common pattern is to research first, stay formal, avoid gender assumptions, and use “Dear Hiring Manager” as a clean fallback.

Quick answer

• Best: “Dear [First Name Last Name],” when you know the recipient’s correct name.
• Good fallback: “Dear Hiring Manager,” when no name is available.
• More specific fallback: “Dear [Department] Hiring Team,” or “Dear [Role] Search Committee,” when the department or committee is clear.
• Avoid: “Dear Sir or Madam,” “To Whom It May Concern,” “Hello there,” and guessed gendered titles.
• If the cover letter is pasted into an application box, a simple greeting is enough; do not force a full postal address block if the form does not need it.

First, try to find the right name

Spend a few minutes looking before you settle for a generic greeting. Check the job posting, recruiter email, LinkedIn job post, company team page, department leadership page, and the company’s main contact line. If a recruiter posted the role, you can address the note to that recruiter unless the posting names a different hiring manager.

Do not guess from weak evidence. If you find three people with similar titles, choose a role-based greeting instead of risking the wrong person. A correct general greeting is better than a confident but incorrect name.

How to address a cover letter when you know the name

• Dear Jordan Lee,
• Dear Taylor Morgan,
• Dear Dr. Patel,
• Dear Professor Nguyen,
• Dear Judge Ramirez,

Using first and last name is often the safest modern option because it avoids guessing gender or marital status. Use a professional title when it is relevant and verified, such as Dr., Professor, Judge, Captain, or Dean.

Should you use Mr., Ms., or Mx.?

Use Mr., Ms., or Mx. only when you are confident it matches the person’s preference. If you are unsure, use the full name without a title: “Dear Alex Chen,”. This is formal enough for most business applications and avoids unnecessary assumptions.

How to address a cover letter with no name

If you cannot find a name, choose the most specific accurate greeting. The goal is to show that the letter is aimed at the right function, even without a person’s name.

• Dear Hiring Manager,
• Dear Recruiting Team,
• Dear Marketing Hiring Team,
• Dear Product Design Search Committee,
• Dear [Company Name] Talent Team,

Use “Dear Hiring Manager” when you do not know the department. Use a department or committee greeting when the posting makes it clear who is hiring. For academic, government, nonprofit, and panel processes, “Search Committee” can be more accurate than “Hiring Manager.”

Greetings to avoid

• To Whom It May Concern: too broad and often reads dated.
• Dear Sir or Madam: assumes gender and feels old-fashioned.
• Hello: too casual for a formal cover letter unless the employer has explicitly casual instructions.
• Dear Recruiter: acceptable only if the reader is actually a recruiter; otherwise use Hiring Manager.
• No greeting: only use this when an application form or email context makes a salutation awkward.

Cover letter header format

For a formal uploaded letter, use a simple header: your name and contact information, the date, then the employer’s name, title, company, and address if known. For most online applications, the exact postal address is less important than a clean, readable document with the right role and company name.

• Your name, phone, email, LinkedIn or portfolio.
• Date.
• Recipient name and title, if known.
• Company name.
• Greeting.
• Opening paragraph that names the role and why you are a fit.

Examples by situation

You know the hiring manager

Dear Jordan Lee,

I’m applying for the Senior Customer Success Manager role at Brightline because your enterprise onboarding work matches the customer migration programs I have led.

You only know the department

Dear Customer Success Hiring Team,

I’m applying for the Senior Customer Success Manager role and was excited to see the emphasis on onboarding systems, renewal risk, and executive stakeholder management.

You are applying to an academic or committee process

Dear Search Committee,

I’m writing to apply for the Program Coordinator position in the School of Public Health.

You have only a recruiter contact

Dear Maya Thompson,

Thank you for coordinating the application process. I’m attaching my cover letter for the Account Executive role and would appreciate your forwarding it to the hiring team.

Final checks before sending

• Spell the person’s name exactly as shown in the source you used.
• Match the company name to the job posting, including capitalization.
• Use the same role title the employer used.
• Remove placeholders like [Hiring Manager] or [Company].
• Keep the salutation consistent with the tone of the rest of the letter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to address a cover letter?

Use “Dear [First Name Last Name],” when you know the correct person. If you do not, use “Dear Hiring Manager,” or a specific team greeting.

Is “To Whom It May Concern” still acceptable?

It is understandable, but it is usually weaker than “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear Recruiting Team,” or a department-specific greeting. Use a more targeted option when possible.

Should I address a cover letter to HR or the hiring manager?

Use the hiring manager if you can verify the name. Use the recruiter or HR contact if they are the only named person coordinating the process. If neither is available, use “Dear Hiring Manager.”

What if I only know a first name?

If the first name comes from a direct recruiter email, you can use it. If it comes from weak research, use a role-based greeting instead.

Bottom line

A cover letter greeting should be accurate, respectful, and specific enough to show effort. Research the name, avoid assumptions, and use a clean fallback when the name is not available. The salutation will not win the job by itself, but a careless one can weaken an otherwise strong application.